


TikTok Hero

by okemmelie



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, ethan and lex aren't dating but goes to california together anyway, ethan drinks his respect woman juice every morning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23277694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okemmelie/pseuds/okemmelie
Summary: Ethan unexpectedly finds success in California and he uses it to help get Lex what she wants
Relationships: Lex Foster/Ethan Green
Comments: 17
Kudos: 45





	TikTok Hero

**Author's Note:**

> stry requested band!au + fake dating + "i know that it's the thought that counts but this doesn't even look like you thought about it" from this list of prompts: https://helenmcwife.tumblr.com/post/613482483289407488/au-trope-prompt-game

California isn’t treating them  _ too _ well, but it’s better than Hatchetfield and Ethan decides that despite everything, it’s alright. Because Hannah seems happier. Because Lex seems happier. It makes him feel happier.

Becoming an actress is hard, so Lex becomes a lot of things. A waitress. A barista. She even gets another job stocking at a toy store, which Ethan finds funny. She pushes him and tells him it’s not funny and he tells her alright. Then he whispers under her breath that it’s a little bit funny and she pushes him again, but this time at least she doesn’t sit back in her chair before messing up his hair, which he’s pretty sure is a good thing coming from Lex.

Hannah does well in school, all things considered. She attends and Ethan’s really fucking proud of her for that (fuck, neither he nor Lex was ever good at that shit, but he likes to believe it means she’s in a better place than they ever were; that they’re successful ‘parental units’, as he calls them).

Things are good.

Lex has always been a dreamer and he admires that about her. There’s no way she’s giving up, no way she’s not achieving her dream. She wants more than he’s ever seen anyone want before and it’s so fucking inspirational and motivational to hear her talk about it late at night as they share cigarettes under the soft moonlight on their tiny balcony.

That’s why it sucks whenever she doesn’t get a role. That’s why it sucks whenever her projects get shut down due to minimal funding. That’s why it sucks when he’s the one who ends up breaking through.

Because while Lex is a dreamer, she’s not the unrealistic kin. Or maybe all dreamers are unrealistic, but being best friends and living with one makes him realize that there’s different kinds of dreamers and Lex doesn’t just dream. She has no plan b. She’s gonna be an actress, odds be damned.

Ethan? He’s made of hope. Sure, he dreams about success just as much as the next guy, but he’s fine working a shitty job for the rest of his life and accepting that maybe things just won’t work out for him. He hopes things will end up working out for him, but he doesn’t try to make it happen.

That’s why it feels so unfair when things happen. His little band was never supposed to find success, but then they do. They find lots and lots and lots of success and suddenly, there’s a little more money in their household and Lex has more times to do auditions because there’s less stress about their financial situation, there’s no longer a need for her to work three fucking jobs just to stay afloat.

He gets a stupid idea. One of his band members is making a TikTok and he’s in the background of it. So’s Lex. He pulls her in for a kiss. He lets the guy upload the video. And when he gets questions about it, he makes a TikTok all on his own and announces to the world that Lex and him are dating.

Lex sees the video and just rolls her eyes at him. “Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do and I know that it’s the thought that counts, but this doesn’t even look like you thought about it.”

It just makes him shrug. He’ll be real, he hasn’t put too much thought into it and he’s not sure what it’s going to mean for them, but if it gets Lex closer to her dreams, he doesn’t mind running into a little regret along the way. He’s allowed to do stupid shit, especially for friendship.

Then it’s a few weeks later and he and Lex are back out on their tiny balcony, because sure, their apartment is shit and they can afford something slightly better now, probably, but it’s home and it’s where they live. It’s fine. Lex’s phone buzzes again. And again. And again. She picks it up, sighs and shows him a message from someone asking her to come audition for the play, mentioning how honored he’d be to have Ethan Green’s girlfriend in his theater company. She thanks him, but tells him to seriously never pull shit like this again. Then she accepts and suddenly, she’s in a play.

If Ethan had had a plan, everything would be going accordingly.


End file.
